The present invention relates to speaker assemblies for personal use such as in cellular telephones and, more particularly, to relatively thin speaker assemblies.
Manufacturers and designers of personal electronic devices such as cellular telephones (hereinafter xe2x80x9ccell honesxe2x80x9d) and other wireless transmitters often desire to reduce the overall dimensions of such devices, particularly the overall dimensions of such a device when the device is in a stored or standby mode. However, designers are often constrained in reducing certain dimensions. In the case of a cellphone, it may be desirable for the distance between a microphone and an ear speaker of the cellphone to be at least a certain minimum distance apart in order to allow effective simultaneous positioning of the microphone adjacent the user""s mouth and of the speaker adjacent the user""s ear.
In order to reduce the size of a cellphone while still providing the necessary spacing between the microphone and the speaker when the cellphone is in use, it is known to mount the microphone in a relatively thin flip member that is hingedly coupled to the main body of the cellphone. It is also known to provide the ear speaker in a relatively thin flip member hingedly coupled to the main body of the cellphone. However, when the speaker is mounted in a relatively thin flip member, the sound quality experienced by the user, particularly the frequency response distribution in the frequency range of importance for voice communications, may be poor. Moreover, the sound quality may be significantly degraded if the flip is not substantially sealed against the user""s ear to eliminate acoustic leak.
The present invention is directed to a personal electronic device or ear flip member including a transducer and a tuned resonator volume that is laterally offset from the transducer. By allowing the tuned resonator volume to be offset, the frequency response of the device may be improved without the need to substantially increase the thickness of the personal electronic device or ear flip member.
According to embodiments of the present invention, a personal electronic device includes a main body and an ear flip member coupled to the main body. The ear flip member includes a speaker assembly. The speaker assembly includes a housing including front and rear opposed surfaces spaced apart along a depthwise axis. A transducer is disposed in the housing between the front and rear surfaces and along each of the depthwise axis, a longitudinal axis extending perpendicular to the depthwise axis, and a transverse axis extending transverse to the longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the depthwise axis. The housing defines a tuned resonator volume therein and in fluid communication with the transducer. At least a portion of the tuned resonator volume is disposed laterally adjacent the transducer along at least one of the longitudinal and transverse axes.
The tuned resonator volume may extend the frequency response of the speaker assembly in a prescribed frequency range.
The personal electronic device may include a load hole assembly in the housing. The load hole assembly includes at least one port extending fully through the housing to fluidly connect the front and rear surfaces.
According to further embodiments of the present invention, an ear flip member includes a speaker assembly. The speaker assembly includes a housing including front and rear opposed surfaces spaced apart along a depthwise axis. A transducer is disposed in the housing between the front and rear surfaces and along each of the depthwise axis, a longitudinal axis extending perpendicular to the depthwise axis, and a transverse axis extending transverse to the longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the depthwise axis. The housing defines a tuned resonator volume therein and in fluid communication with the transducer. At least a portion of the tuned resonator volume is disposed laterally adjacent the transducer along at least one of the longitudinal and transverse axes.
According to further aspects of the present invention, a method for improving the frequency response of a transducer in an ear flip member includes mounting the transducer in a housing of the ear flip member. A tuned resonator volume is provided in the housing laterally adjacent and in fluid communication with the transducer. The tuned resonator volume is tuned to extend the frequency response of the speaker assembly in a prescribed frequency range.
According to embodiments of the present invention, a personal electronic device includes a main body and an ear flip member coupled to the main body. The ear flip member includes a speaker assembly. The speaker assembly includes a housing including front and rear opposed surfaces. A transducer is disposed in the housing between the front and rear surfaces. The speaker assembly further includes a tuned resonator cavity in the housing that is laterally offset from the transducer, is in fluid communication therewith, and extends from adjacent the front surface to adjacent the rear surface.
Objects of the present invention will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the Figures and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follow, such description being merely illustrative of the present invention.